A transcript of air traffic controllers at Toronto's Pearson Airport gives no clue to what caused an Air France jet to slide off the runway.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reports the transcript shows a controller notifying the pilot of Air France Flight 358 to reduce speed, controllers warning other pilots of weather problems and then, immediately after the crash, canceling landings and telling pilots the airport was closed.
All of the 309 passengers and crew members aboard the Airbus A340 were able to evacuate safely Tuesday afternoon as the plane began to burn in a ravine.
Réal Lavasseur, lead investigator for Canada's Transportation Safety Board, told the CBC determining the cause of the crash could take years. But he said the investigation is easier than most in one important way.
"I don't have to speak to grieving widows or family members, so that takes half of my hard work away," he said.
The cockpit and voice data recorders have been recovered from the wreckage and will be studied in Ottawa. Levasseur said there was some fire damage to the recorders, but they "look pretty good" and investigators should be able to recover information from them.
© Copyright 2005 by United Press International
